Win1010 Contest Program - Getting Started

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Agatha Tate
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1 Win1010 Contest Program - Getting Started The above screen shot is the opening screen of the Win1010 Contest Program. There are two small windows on the top of the screen that will display various help screens and info during the contest operation. The green box is a score box that will display the running score and QSO rate. Across the top of the screen is the tool bar which has the following items (in bold print): File: Use this for opening a contest or printing a log. Options: Use this for configuring and setting preferences. Utilities: There are various utilities for the Contest, County Hunter, and Daily Log Programs. Also a Database Utility Menu. View: This provides a drop-down list of Contest and County Hunter displays. The labels to start the Certificate Chaser, County Hunter and Daily Log programs. Help: This has a drop down list of the Help Files available. These are all in RTF format and use the WordPad program to read or print. The Choose Help Topic drop-down box list the available things to display such as the routines activated by the F-Keys, the Control keys, the ALT-keys, DXCC List and other items. Which ever is chosen is displayed in the upper left small window. Before starting a contest, click on the Options label at the top of the screen to set your options.

This is the Options Menu showing the Contest Setup tab. The most popular options are checked. The Win1010 CD comes with the FCC Amateur Radio Database as converted weekly by K4HAV.

2 This is the Options Menu showing the Contest Setup tab. The most popular options are checked. The Win1010 CD comes with the FCC Amateur Radio Database as converted weekly by K4HAV. The above configuration assumes that the FCC Database is installed and will be used. It can also be downloaded. The GMT Offset is set for 4 hours if you are on the U.S. East Coast. If changed, the GMT clock will not show the change until the program is restarted or the first contact is filed. The second item on the right chooses the Default Address Database. The choices are in the drop-down box. The FCC is the choice above. The Default Contest Mode is chosen to be SSB. This is what will be used in the Contest Log unless it is changed for each contact by using the ALT-M key. The ALT-M key will display a list of 18 modes which can be used. It has to be used for each contact that is not that of the default mode. The DB95.DAT is the Default Contest Database. This is a collection of many contest logs for various Win1010 users over the past 18 years which should contain most of the active contesters. It is updated after each contest with newcomers to the 1010 contest world. The check boxes on the left are pre-checked for a typical contest. The top box turns on the County Input Mode. This can be used if you collect counties. After the state is entered a list of counties for that state

3 will appear in the upper left window. Scroll down the list and double-click on the county or hit ENTER for no county. If you are a big gun working the contest as fast as you can, then you may not want to stop to add the counties. A check box further down will check the FCC Database and automatically enter the county for you to confirm over-the-air. The next two boxes checked will automatically check the default address database and the default contest database for every contact. This should fill in most of the information and save lots of typing. For the county to be auto-inserted, the address database box has to be checked. If you are collecting Grid Squares, then the last two boxes should be checked. The FCC routine converts the Zip Code into a Grid Square. These should be confirmed over-the-air because in a few cases, the Grid Square line may split a Zip Code Area. If the last box is not checked, then the contest program will skip the GS field. Double-clicking on the Grid Square box will remove the box and GS label. Hit the Save button to save these changes. The above is the Database Path tab of the Options Menu. If you are using the FCC Database, then set the path to the FCC files and check the Installed box. If you want to use the web access to the QRZ.COM site, then check the QRZ.COM Active box. When a call is in the Call field, hitting the red QRZ button at the bottom right will access the QRZ web page and display the info. This is good for DX stations. The FCC search will show the much of the same data and then some more. Hit the Save button.

4 The Win1010 Demo program does not come with a Latitude and Longitude entered. If you have purchased the Win1010 program, then your lat/long values will be stored in your UserID file, but can be edited in the above boxes. If you are using the Demo program, then enter your lat/long values above. If you do not know yours, then check your call at QRZ.COM and the values will be given there. Use a plus value for each above for U.S. locations. The user s azimuth is used in calculating the distance and heading of the station entered into the Call field. This also uses the info in the FCC Database to find the other station s azimuth to do the calculations.

If you have a VP number, then by checking the second box Automatically Insert VP Numbers in All Programs will enter the VP number for you to confirm over-the-air.

5 If you have a VP number, then by checking the second box Automatically Insert VP Numbers in All Programs will enter the VP number for you to confirm over-the-air. This box should NOT be checked unless you have a VP number, since any VP s collected would not be from a valid VP contact, in which both parties must have a VP number. The white box at the bottom right saying Please Enter means to enter the date that you received your VP number. If you do not know your date, then you can the VP Awards Manager or myself, k4hav@hds.net or jhardy@surfsouth.com and I will check the VP records for your date. When you hover your mouse over the box, instructions will appear in red in the blank space to the left. Starting a Contest Click on the File label at the top left and choose Open New Contest from the choices. The Look-In box should point to the Win1010 folder. Sometimes the default Windows location of Documents and Settings might appear. If so, then navigate to the Win1010 folder. Choose a name like Sprint07, CWFall07, SSBFeb07 or something of your choice. A popup screen will popup to remind new users of the revised configuration method.

6 This is the bottom of the data input screen. Whenever a call is entered, the contest database is checked and if the call is found in the database, then all his info will be inserted. Hit ENTER to move between fields. TAB is not a valid method to move between fields. The mouse can be used to place the cursor, but ENTER should be used to move to the next field. The ENTER key triggers the various checking routines. The contact can be filed by keep hitting ENTER past the last field, or by hitting the F1 key. You can also move between fields by hitting the CTRL key and the left or right arrow keys. A 1010 number can also be placed in the Call field, and it will be converted into the call. Maybe you heard a station giving his 1010 number but did not get his call. No problem, just enter the number. For a contest like the 1010 Sprint where both SSB and CW/DIG can be used, the default mode should be chosen before the contest starts for the mode which you think you will have the most contacts. If you change modes and work several stations on the new mode, then you will have to hit ALT-M to choose the mode for each contact not in the default mode. The red 10X and VP buttons at the bottom will bring up a box to enter a number and the call will be displayed. Placing a call in the Call field and hitting the red FCC or QRZ button will bring up data from those two searches if they are marked active in the Options Database Path tab. The red DB button will display the 16,000 plus calls in the contest database. The red WAS button will display the states needed in the contest for WAS and will list the states already worked. Double-clicking on a state worked will display all the stations worked in that state. The red NP button will popup a yellow box that you can enter up to 256 characters for a note. Hit F2 to file the note into the Win1010\Notes folder with the filename of hiscall.not The red CTY button will bring up the list of states, then double-click on the state for a list of counties. If the wrong county was entered, then hit Control-C for a list of counties in the state that is in the QTH field. Double-click on the correct county. The red REF button will refresh the log screen. If a QSO is edited, the changes will not be displayed in the log unless the REF button is hit. The red PAR button will list all calls in the contest database which matches a part of a call entered in the Call field. For example: entering AW in the Call field will list 50 matching calls including W1AW when the PAR button is hit. The BUC, CBK and XXIP buttons are for the BuckMaster, Flying Horse CallBook and the 1010 XXIP database searches. If these are used, then their path must be entered in the Option s Path tab and must be checked to be activated. The blue K button will clear all screens. The ESC key will also clear the fields.

7 If the Grid Square Mode is being used, then the log window will show the Grid Square in the log. The Grid Square info is kept in a separate file and if the program is exited, then the existing Grid Square info will not be display when the program is restarted. However, all Grid Squares worked can be seen by hitting the VIEW label at the top of the screen and choosing County Hunter Displays, then the last option is Grid Square Displays which give 4 different displays. Choose the first option to see all the Grid Squares you have worked. The Contest Program works hand-in-hand with the County Hunter Program. For every QSO entered, the County Hunter is checked and if the call is a new prefix, the call will turn red. Likewise, for the 10X, VP and County -- a new one will turn the box red. Also when filed in the log window, the new items will be displayed in red. The red display does not re-appear if the program is exited and restarted. If the Grid Square option is checked, a new GS will also turn red. Editing a QSO Record To edit a record, double-click on the record. This will bring up an Edit lqso Window as shown below. The help screen on the form below explains the procedure for editing a record. After the record is edited and saved, the changes will not appear in the log screen until the red REF button is hit to refresh the data. However, if this is done, then the red highlight for new items will not be reproduced. Nor will any Grid Squares that have been worked. You will note that the Date can be edited. This might be the case if QSO s were entered into the log after the contest was over. There is a special routine called Post Contest Mode On that has a box to check in the Contest Setup of the Options Menu. This will allow you to specify a starting date for the records. More details of this routine can be found in the main Contest Program Help file. In the above screen, the VP numbers were not automatically entered into the log, nor was the counties. If those options were checked, then those fields would have been populated.

Submitting a Log The easiest method to submit a log is by creating an ASCII file and attaching it to an email to the Contest Manager.

To the right is the opening Print Menu showing the red ASCII LOG Button on the upper right. Hovering the mouse over the button will display some help tips in the window.

8 Submitting a Log The easiest method to submit a log is by creating an ASCII file and attaching it to an to the Contest Manager. Before hitting the File button and choosing Contest Print Menu, a contest log has to be loaded into the Contest Program. To the right is the opening Print Menu showing the red ASCII LOG Button on the upper right. Hovering the mouse over the button will display some help tips in the window. Before clicking on the ASCII LOG button, choose a contest name from the drop-down list at the lower left. The red buttons 1-7 can be used in printing logs, dupesheets and a cover sheet. However, the ASCII log by , does not require these extra items. It is much faster, cheaper and easier to score by the Contest Manager. The screen to the right shows the contest name selected as the Winter Phone and shows the entries in the boxes on the lower right. After entering this info, click on the Continue button and a new window will appear to enter the Call, Name, QTH and 10X sent as your exchange. This screen will be shown on the next page. If the Make Comments? line #2 is checked, a popup box will appear for an 83 character comment that will appear in the ASCII Log.

9 This Quick Start file covers the basics, but the entire Contest Help file should be read to find out about the extra features and routines that you might want to use. Some of the items that you might need during a contest and would read about would be: A mobile should be entered as K4HAV/M. If the mobile is operating outside of his home county and his home county is automatically entered, then hit Control-C and that will bring up the counties of the state that is entered into the QTH field. Choosing a new county will replace his home county. A station operating portable DX should be entered as KP4/K4HAV. The automatic country finder needs the prefix at the beginning to enter the QTH as Puerto Rico. Some prefixes represent two or more countries. For these prefixes, a popup window will list the country choices for the QTH. An example would be to enter VE1ABC. The popup window will list Nova Scotia, Pr Edward Is, New Brunswick, Sable Island and St. Paul Island. Choose the correct one. Before preparing your log to submit, the Contest Utility Menu Check Log routine should be run. It checks the log for 1010 errors. It compares the log to the 1010 database (1010.TXT) and points out any calls that do not match the 1010 file. The mismatch could be caused by a recent vanity callsign upgrade and not reflected in the 1010 database yet. With the Vanity Call Program comes a problem that might make a given callsign have two 10X numbers. This is true if the first holder of the call was also a 10X member and let his license expire or became a SK. Then the second holder of the call also has a 10X number. If this situation is encountered, then a popup window will give both 10X numbers and you can choose the correct one. There are several graphs in the Contest View Menu that are interesting. There is a graph of QSO s per each hour of the contest and a WAS Graph which shows each of the 50 states and the number of QSO s in each state. This file is also on the web page and displays the QSO Rate Graph and the WAS Graph for the 1287 contacts made by AH6RF during the Winter 2004 Phone QSO Party while he was using the Win1010 Contest Program.

1.6 Program Window -- Names and Colors Main Window-1

1.6 Program Window -- Names and Colors Main Window-1 .6 Program Window -- Names and Colors.6. Main Window- .6. Main Window- .6.3 Sub Window default colors. Window ARROW Back ground Color View Window Back ground Color RED MULT INFO WHITE View BAND MODE BEAM